For people joining the printed photos frenzy that has recently erupted, this phone case is poised to change the game. Prynt, a product made in San Fransisco, is a phone case that also acts as an instant photo printer — take a photo, and print it out within 30 seconds!

Unlike your usual phone photo printers, Prynt was designed to be truly portable — and by the looks of it, the device does actually seem to work. Prynt also comes in a variety of bright candy colours, and when worn over your phone, transforms it into the size of an actual camera. It’s clunkier than your usual phone case, but perfect for stringing around your neck to act the part of a hipster tourist.

Each case comes with special paper (2 x 3 inches) that has ink embedded into it, meaning that there isn’t a costly ink cartridge to replace. The tiny paper refills also make them as portable as your usual polaroid film boxes. The phone case can only fit 10 sheets at a time and print 20 sheets on a full battery, though, so it’s probably more for casual use and not for insane party photography.

Bringing Photos To Life

Here’s where it gets interesting: Prynt’s accompanying app — which will be launched this coming summer — seems to act like any old photo app at face value, with editing tools and filters. But it also has an element that aims to bring interaction with photos to a whole new level — by integrating augmented reality. This is where Harry Potter comes in.

Image Credit: Tumblr

Remember how the photographs in Harry Potter are able to move on their own accord? Well, with the accompanying app, the photos that you print out will look like they’ve come to life through the screen of your smartphone. When you take a photo through the app, it actually films a short video, from which you can pick the frame you want to print.

After that, all you need to do is simply point the phone camera at the photo, and the app will start playing that same short video, safely stored in cloud.

Image Credit: PryntImage Credit: Prynt

Since the video is stored in cloud, it also means that anyone with the Prynt app will be able to see the video, given that they have the right photo. Imagine sending a friend an ordinary photo, and having them unlock the secret video using the app.

Normal, boring pictures will never be the same again.

Kickstarting Prynt’s Development

Prynt recently launched their Kickstarter, and with 27 days to go, it has already exceeded its goal with over $600,000 raised and almost 4,000 backers.

A Prynt case is compatible with Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5, as well as the iPhone 5, 5C, 5S and 6. Each costs a pretty pricey $99 with 10 sheets of their special paper, and every extra $25 added will get you another 50. Since it is a brand new product,though, this is the only place to get it (and sadly all the early birds have been sold out).

After seeing what this product can do, I’m already itching to get a set, but with the next available shipment coming out only in October, and the app not due till later in the year, I won’t be able to unlock the real fun behind Prynt just yet. It may seem like just another cumbersome phone case to some, but I’m pretty sure that this one will be worth it.